Double-seaming machine



0, 1930- H. L. GUENTHl ER 1,787,369

DOUBLE S EAMING MACH I NE Filed Aug. 22, 1928 4 Sheets$heet l Inventor 7fcmg/L. Gz/enther Dec. 30, 1930. H. L. GUENTHER 1,787,369

DOUBLE SEAMING MACHINE v filed Aug. 22, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 rwentar v 71%;?? L. fluent/2e)" Attorneys Dec. 39, 193G. GUENTHER 1,787,369

DOUBLE S EAMING MACHINE Filed Aug. 22, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Inventar JznryL. Gz/enther By Aftormays Dec. 30,, 1930. T E 1,787,369

DOUBLE SEAMING MACHINE Filed Aug. 22, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 .By Jul/"fw fflaa am Attorneys Patented Dec. 30, 1930 NITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE HENRY L. GUENTHER, OF LOSANGELES, CALIFORNIA DOUBLE-SEAMING MACHINE Application filed August 22, 1928. Serial No. 301,318.

This invention relates to can making and zontal upper floor 11 and vertical side walls closing machinery, and particularly pertains whereby a housing 12 will be provided withto a double seaming machine. 1 in which the driving gear trains of the ma- In the canning industry there is at the preschine may be enclosed. Suitable cover boards ent time a demand for a double seaming ma- 13 are mounted over openings in the end chine to be used in closing sanitary cans and walls of the bed plate and when moved perwhich machine will be of a few simple parts mit access to said gear trains. and may be easily operated at a relatively Supported upon the bed plate 10 adjacent high speed without probability of spilling one end thereof is a column 14; which serves 19 the contents of the cans as they are fed into as a support. At its upper end is ,a bearing and through the machine. With this in view, structure 15 which overhangs the column and it has been the principal object of the present the bed plate to provide a. substantially C- invention to provide a can double seaming shaped frame for the entire double seaming machine which is of simple design and conmachine. The overhead bearing structure 15 struction and occupies arelatively small floor 15 carries bearings 16 and 17, to receive a space and will act eflectively to rapidly form horizontally extending driving mandrel 18, a lockseam between a can body and its cap. one end of this mandrel is provided with a The present invention contemplates the hand wheel 19 by which it may be manually provision of a can double seaming machine rotated. The opposite end of the mandrel of the intermittent motion type being as more clearly shown in Fig. 5 of the drawformed with means for initially curling the ings is provided with a driving pulley 20 same while the can stands stationary and around which a belt 21 is rove. A clutch thereafter spin the can at rapid speed to structure 22 is secured in operative relation finally form and close the seam. to the mandrel 18 and the pulley 20, so that The invention is. illustrated by way of exdriving connection between the pulley and ample in the accompanying drawings, in the mandrel may be directed at the will of which: the operator. This clutch structure em- Fig. 1 is a view in plan showing the combodies an operating finger 23, as one of its plete machine with which the present invenelements. The finger extends outwardly .30 tion is concerned, and including the can and and engages the tapered face of operating so cap feed mechanisms. cone 24, which may be shifted longitudinally Fig. 2 is a view in vertical section through upon the shaft 18 to establish or discontinue the machine as seen on the line 2-2 of Fig. the clutch operation. The operating cone 24 M 1, and particularly discloses the first seamis pivoted by trunnions 25 to shift yoke 26 ing operation mechanism. which forms part of a bell crank 27 The so Fig. 3 is a View in vertical section through opposite arm 28 of the bell crank 27 carries the machine as seen on the line 33 of Figs. a brake shoe 29 which may be brought to bear 1 and 2, and particularly discloses the two against a brake drum 30, mounted on the I seaming stations with relation to the cap mandrel 18. The bell crank is mounted feed. upon a pivot pin 31 and is operated by a on Fig. 4 is a view in horizontal section clutch lever 32 which may be swung horithrough the body of the seaming mechanism zontally to oscillate the bell crank and alterseen on the line 4.1 of Figs. 2 and 3. shownately actuate the clutch and the brake. ing the relation of the two seaming stations The mandrel 18 carries a bevel gear 33 to each other. which is in mesh with a bevel pinion 34. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view in plan show- This pinion is secured to the upper end of a ing the driving clutch and brake arrangeseaming drive shaft 35. This shaft extends ment. vertically and is rotatably supported in a Referring more particularly to the drawbearing 36 carried by a cantilever arm 38 seings, 10 indicates a bed plate having a horicured to the column 14 near the upper end thereof. The lower end of the seaming shaft is rotatably supported in a bearing 39 formed as apart of the floor 11 of the bed plate 10. The shaft carries a driving gear 40 adjacent its upper end, which gear is in mesh with a first seaming station driving pinion 41 anda second seaming station driving pinion 42. 1

As more'clearly shown in .Fig. 3 of the drawings, the pinion 41 is mounted upon a sleeve 43 and a spindle 43 which spindle is carried by the bearing 44 which is formed as a part of the cantilever bracket structure 38. The sleeve 43 is mounted upon the spindle 43' which extends downwardly and is provided with rotary seaming head 45 of thegeneral type shown in Patent No.

-1,611,523, issued to me December 21, 1926.

The seaming-head is here shown comprising a cage 46 which is secured to-the lower end of the sleeve43 and which is provided at its opposite sides withslotted openings into which the levers 47 of the first seaming operation 48 are mounted. These levers are carried on pivots 49 so that the levers may swing readily in a vertical plane upon diametrically opposite sides of the axis of the sleeve43. The lower ends of the levers carry the seaming rollers 48. The upper ends of the levers carry operating cam rollers 50. The cam rollers are disposed in bearing relation to a frusto-conical cam 51 which 15 slidably mounted upon the sleeve 43. A yoke pivotally mounted upon a pin 55 to permit it to swing vertically. Upon the opposite side .of the pivot from the fork 54and formed integral with said fork, is a shifting arm 56'which extends into the column 14 and carries a roller 57 at its free end. This roller rides in the circumferential groove '58 ofa cam 59, which camv is keyed to a cam shaft 66 extending longitudinally of and within the column 14. r The upper end 'ofcam shaft 60 extends through a vertical bearing '61 in the bearing structure 1'5 and receives a mitre driving gear 62 which-is in mesh with a pinion 63 carried upon the mandrel 18 and keyed thereto. 7

Referring again to the structure of the first seaming head 45, it will be seen that the lower endof the cage 46 is cylindrical in shape and that it provides a bell 64 into which a can'and its associated cap are lifted prior to the seaming operation, and within which the can cap is brought to registerwith a circular clutch jplate'65 secured to the'lower end of the spindle 43'.

Disposed at a suitable distance from the V mouth of the bell- 64-is a horizontal floor 66 onto which cans may be moved by a can feed and timing mechanism generally indicated 7 70 is in longitudinal vertical alignmentwith the upper'spindle 43 and is carried in bearings 71 and 72 within the bed plate. It will thus be understood that after a can has been brought to register with the opening 68 it will assume a seated position upon the lower chuck plate 69 after which the plate with the lower spindle 7 Owill rise vertically to project the upper end of the can and its associated cap into the mouth of the bell 64 and w1th the upper chuck plate 65 in register with and-bearing. against the cap and in which position the can will be stationary during the "first seaming operation.

The lower spindle 7 0 is lifted by a vertically swinging arm 73 which is secured to a lift shaft 7 4 mounted upon a horizontal aXis in bearings 7 5 and 76 of the bed plate. A

collar 77 is disposed upon the spindle 7 O and is pr'ovided'with' a circumferential groove 7 8 to receive a pin 79 wlnch is carried by the lever 73. A helical spring 80 circumscribes the spindle 70 and restsuponthe upper face of the shifting collar. A: collar 81 is'fiized upon the shaft'ZO and suitably spaced so that 'when the shifting lever 73 swings upwardly it will exert pressure through the shifting collar 78' to thespring 80 and this in turn will engage the shaft collar 81 on the spindle 70 and cause the shaft to be lifted. Suitable adjustment may be made so that a can and cap Wlll be held against the upper chuck plate 65 by the yielding pressure of the spring '80. The lever-73-is actuated by a cam arm :82 formed integral therewith and disposed upon the opposite side'of the shaft 74. This arm carries a cam roller 83 engaging 'a groove 84 in a face cam 85. The face cam is fixed upon a. jack shaft 86 disposed parallel to the shaft 7 4 and mounted upon suitable horizontally aligned bearings within the bed plate 10. The shaft 86 is'driven from the cam shaft 60 by bevel gears 87 and 88 mounted upon shafts 60 and 86 respectively. The can with its partially formed seam is thereafter moved from the first seaming station as represented by its "position'between the chuck plates 65 and 69'to a second and final seaming' station as represented by its position in longitudinal alignment withan upper rota-ting spindle 89 and a lower rotating spindle 90 which define the second seaming station, attention being directed to thefact that'the first operation spindles 48 and 70 are nonrotatable, firmlyholding the can in a fixed position duringthe preliminary seaming opwheel is provided with semicircular pockets in spaced equal distance to each other along the circumference of the star wheel,

' which pockets are swung on a radius to inthe lower second operation spindle 90.

a timing disc 96 which is engaged sure that the can will snugly seat within the pocket and will be carried in its set position from one seaming station to the other. The star wheel 91 is shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings as being disposed near the upper end of a can, but it will be understood that this star Wheel may be suitably positioned vertically so as to insure that the can will be properly fed and accurately brought to register with the mechanism at the seaming s..ations. The lower end of the star wheel shaft 92 carries at equal intervals by rollers 97 of timing arms 98. These arms are carried upon a subshaft 99 vertically mounted in bearings 100 and 101 of the bed plate and being driven from the cam shaft 60 through a pinion 102 thereon in mesh with the gear 103 on the shaft 99. The disc 96 and the arms 98 with their rollers 97 constitute a Geneva movement which insures that the star wheel 91 will intermittently rotate in svnchronism with the other moving parts of the machine.

When a can has been moved to the second seaming station by the star wheel 91 it will be disposed upon a chuck plate 1041. This chuck plate is mounted upon the upper end of The lower spindle 90 is rotatably mounted and vertically recinrocable in bearings 105 and 106. The spindle 90 carries a pinion 10. which is in mesh with a gear 108 secured to the lower end of seaming shaft The lower second operation spindle 90 is vertically reciprocated by an arm 109 keyed upon rock shaft 74: and having a pin 110 at its outer end engaging a groove in collar 111. Attention is directed to the fact that in Fig. 3 of the drawingsit is shown that collar 111 on the second operation spindle 90 and collar 78 on the first operation spindle 70 are tied together by a casting 112 so that the two shafts will reciprocate in unison. Stop collars 113 and 1 11 1 are secured upon the second operation spindle 90 and upon opposite sides of the shifting collar 111. The spindle 89 of the second operation station is in vertical alignment with the spindle 90 and is disposed thereahove. This spindle is carried in bearings 115 and 116. and driven by al-2 keyed thereiuion and in mesh witl he driving gear 40. Mounted upon the lower end of the spindle 89 is an upper chuck plate 117 against which the cap of a can is lifted and held during the action of the second op eration seaming mechanism 118.

The second operation seaming mechanism comprises a seaming roll 119 carried by a lever 120. This lever is disposed in a horizontal plane and is pivotally mounted upon a vertical pin 121. The lever thus swings radially toward and away from the periphery of the chuck plate 11", and may exert pressure upon the seam initially formed between the can and its cap to finish the seam and to curl it in and flatten it. The lever 120 is formed integral with an operating lever 122 which is en aged by an eye belt 123 pivotally secured at the end thereof by a pin 124. The eye bolt is provided with spacing collars 125 and 126 held in position by adjusting nuts 127. Disposed between the pacing collars is a shifting cellar 123 carryinr trunnions 129. These trunnions are, engaged by a horizontalyswingingleverlBOmountedupon shaft 131. Tl is shaft is vertically mounted and is r0- tated by a cam arm 132 carrying a roller 133 at its outer end. This roller projects an eccentric cam groove 134 on a face cam 135 which cam is secured to and rotates with the cam shaft 60.

At the first operation station it is often necessary to insure tiat the can is loosened from the upper chuck plate after the first sean'iing operation has taken place. This is accomplished by a stripper rod 136 which extends downwardly through the upper spindle 43 and may be caused to project through the bottom face of the upper chuck disc 65 to force the cap of the can downwardly and to release it from a binding position around the chuck plate. This rod is reciprocably operated by a pressure arm 13'? which rests upon the head of the rod and moves it downwardly against the expansive action of a spring 138. The pressure arm is mounted upon a rock shaft 139 and is formed with a continuing lever 140 carrying a roller 1 11 which engages the groove 1. 12 of a cam 1&3. This cam is secured to the 3am shaft 60 adjacent its upper end.

In operation of the present invention cans are fed into the machine by suitable timing and feed means. as generally indicated at 1 14s in 1 of the drawings. This mechanism will not be described in detail in the present case since it forms the subject mat ter of a copending application entitled Accelerating can feed filed under date of June 15, 1928, Serial No. 285,663. This structure, however, comprises a plurality of feed arms 1 15 by which cans are fed onto a horizontally moving feed chain 146. Feed fingers 1 17 are carried by the cha n and project upwardly from the upper flight thereof to engage cans marked A in the drawings. The open cans are thus fed to the machine and there receive a so caps

B "from a stack 148. The caps are fed to the cans by a cap feed mechanism generally indicated at 149 and which mechanism forms the subject matter of a copending application filed by me concurrently with the present case on August 4, 1928, Serial No. 297,569.

This cap mechanism operates at right angles to the path of travel of the can and causes caps to be fed along guide rails 150 and 151 to a seated position over the mouth of the can, after which the can and its cap will be moved upwardly through a centering ring as indicated by numeral 152in Fig. 3 of the drawings, and will th reafter be lifted into the bell 6 s of the first seaming head 4:5. It will be understood that all of the parts of the mechanism will operate in synchronism and that a rounding member 153, as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings, will act to securely set the incoming can within the pocket 95 of the transfer star wheel 91. l Vhen in this position the driving mandrel 18 will actthrough pinion 63 to drive the gear 62 and the cam shaft 60. This shaft will in turn impart rotati onto a horizontally disposed shaft 86 through pinions 87 and 88. The lifting cam 85 will thus rotate, and due to the formation of the cam groove 84: in the face thereof, will act through pin 83 and lever 82 to rotate the rock shaft 7 1 and thus simultaneously lift the levers-73 and 109. This will act to simultaneously raise both of the lower seaming station spindles and 90, and will cause he spindle 7 0 to raise its lower chuck 69 upon Which the can is belng seated prior to receivmg its first seaming operation. The can will thus be moved vertically as guided by the arcuate recess 95 in the star wheel 91 and the rounding member 153 partially encompassing the outer side of the can. The can thus being moved upwardly through the centering ring 52 where it will receive the cap and will carry the cap into the mouth of the bell 64 and into register with the upper chuck plate 65. While the can and cap are thus being securely gripped between the upper and lower chuck plates 65 and 69, respectively, under a pressure arm by the tension of the spring 80, the upper seaming head will be in constant rotation with its seaming rolls 4:8 in their outermost positions. As the cam shaft 60'rotates its first seaming operation cam 59 will act upon the lever 56 to swing the lever 54: downwardly and to force the cone 51 between the pressure rolls 50 of the seaming roll levels 17. This will cause the seaming rolls 18 to simultaneously swing inwardly at diametrically opposite sides of the same area of the can and will cause the marginal edges of the can and cap to be curled over each other in a manner to perform the initial step in forming a'lock seam. The cone 51 will move downwardly until the desired seaming operation has been completed b the rolls as after which the cam 59 will cause it to recede and will permit the can to be released. Simultaneously with this movement and in proper timed relation thereto, the lifting cam will rotate to relieve pressure upon the levers 73 and 109, thus causing spindles 7O andg9O to be lowered. i

As the chuck plate 69recedes it will relieve pressure from the can which'has been partially seamed, and ifthe seam of the can does not bind the upper chuck plate 65, the canwill move downwardly with the receding chuck 69. In the event that it doesbind, however, the stripper rod 136 will be actuated by the cam 14:2 and the pressure arm 137, to force the rod downwardly and to loosen the can from the chuck. I

At this time the shaft 99 will be constantly rotating and one of its operating arms 98 will engage a groove in the Geneva cam disc 96 to cause intermittent partial rotation of the star wheel shaft 92 and the star wheel91. This rotation will be sufficient to move the partially seamed can from the first seaming station to a position at rest upon the lower chucr plate 10 1 carried by the spindle of the second seaming station. The cam 85 will then act through the levers 73 and 109 to again lift the lower spindles C 0 and 90 and this will move the can and its associated cap into contact with the upper chuck 117. The chucks 104C and 117 will thus be in simultaneous rotation and will cause the canto spin. During this operation cam shaft 60 will rotate the horizontally disposed cam 135 to cause it to swing the pressure lever 132, which in turn will swing lever 130 in a horizontal plane and will act through the eye bolt 123 to swing the lever arm 122 and the cam arm 120. This will cause the same finishing roll 119 to press against he partially formed seam as the can spins andto thus finish the seam.

After the second seaming operation has been completed the seaming roller 119 will move to its inoperative position and the chuck 10 1 will be lowered so that the can may be lowered from the seaming position, and may thereafter be carried from the machine by suitable means.

It will thus be seen that the double sea-ming machine here disclosed is decidedly simple in its construction, direct in its opertion, and embodied in'a machine of small compass and that it will rapidly and efectivel form a ti ht seam between a can and v o its cap.

While I have shown the preferred formiof my invention as now known to me, it will be understood that various changes might be made in the combination, construction and arrangement of all parts without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed. Having thus described my invention, what cap are disposed the first station I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A double seaming machine of the intermittent type comprising a first seaming station and a second seaming station, complimentary chucks between which a can and DIV which said can and cap are held in assembled relation to each other without axial rotation, a rotary seaming head at said first seaming station having rollers adapted to move around the perimeter of the can and cap to form the initial seam, can transfer means for moving the can and its cap from the first t0 the second seaming station, a pair of chuck members between which the assembled can and cap are positioned by said transfer means, means for driving said members to axially rotate the can and seaming means adapted to exert pressure against the partially formed seam to complete the seam.

2. In a double seaming machine a second seaming station comprising a lower chuck plate onto which a first seaming station, a second seaming station, partially seamed can and cap may be disposed, an upper chuck plate cooperating therewith to clamp a can and cap therebetween, means for lifting the lower chuck to produce said clamping action, means for simultaneously rotating the two chucks and the can and cap clamped therebetween, and seaming means automatically operating to move toward and then away from the partially formed seam of the can and cap to exert pressure thereagainst and clamp the same while they are rotating.

3. A double seaming machine comprising first and sec-ond seaming stations, the first seaming station including a lower chuck plate onto which a can and its associated cap may be delivered, an upper chuck plate, means for raising the lower chuck plate to lift the can and cap until they are in clamped relation between the two chuck plates, seaming rollers adapted to move around the can and cap, means for driving said seaming rollers and automatically operating means for causing said rollers to swing inwardly to curl. the flange at the upper edge of the can and the edge of the cap to form a lock seam and thereafter acting to permit the rollers to move to inoperative positions, transfer means for moving said partially seamed can and cap from the first station to the second station exert-pressure thereagainst and clamp the same while they are rotating.

4. In a double seaming machine comprising a chuck onto which a can may be disposed, a vertical spindle disposed beneath and carrying said chuck, bearings through which said spindle may reciprocate, a shifting lever by which said spindle may be reciprocated and a timing cam for oscillating said shifting lever, a complimentary upper chuck member towards which the lower chuck member moves when thus shifted to clamp a can and associated cap therebetween, an upper spindle carrying said upper chuck, seaming means mounted to rotate therearoundto form a lOCl seam between the can and cap, vertically reciprocating means mounted on said spindle for moving the seaming means toward and away from the cap, means for constantly driving said seaming means, and drive means acting in synchronism to actuate the lower spindle shifting lever and the upper spindle seaming means operating member to first lift the can and its cap into clamped relation to the upper and lower chucks and to thereafter move the seaming means into operative relation to the perimeter of the cap.

5. in a double seaming machine comprising a chuck onto which a can may be disposed, a vertical spindle disposed beneath and carrying said chuck, bearings through which said spindle may reciprocate, a shifting lever by which said spindle may be reciprocated and a timing cam for oscillating said shifting lever, a complimentary upper chuck member towards which the lower chuck member moves when thus shifted to clamp a can and associated cap therebetween, an upper spindle carrying said upper chuck, seaming means mounted to rotate therearound to form a lock seam between the can and cap, vertically reciprocating means mounted on said spindle for moving the seaming means toward and away from the cap, means for constantly driving said seaming means, vertically shifting means for moving the seaming means toward and away from the cap, drive means acting in synchronism to actuate the lower spindle shifting lever and the upper spindle seaming means operating member to first lift the can and its cap into clamped relation to the upper and lower chucks and to thereafter move the seaming means into operative relation to the perimeter of the cap, a stripper rod vertically reciprocating through the upper spindle to loosen the cap from the upper chuck after the initial seaming operation, and means for causing said stripper rod to be actuated in synchronism with and following the operative actuation of the seaming means.

6. In a double seaming machine, a driving member, a driven member, a first and second seaming station in geared relation to said driven' ni'ember, a vertically reciprocable spindle in medial vertical alignment with the first of said seaming stations, au-

tomatic means operating in synchr'onism with the Whole, to vertically reciprocate said spindle, to engage and to release a can and itscap, resilient means to permit yieldable vertical movement in said spindle, a cone slidable in timed relation With the Whole to causethe seaming rollers to engage the Work,

acam to actuate a star Wheel to transfer the Work to the second station, a second spindle, means employing said first spindle lifting organization to vertically reciprocate said second spindle to cause a can and cap to be engaged and then to move from said second seaming station, means in timed relation with the Whole to cause said second seaming station rollers to engage and then move from thework, and means in timed relation with the-Whole to forcibly remove cans from said first seaming station. 7

HENRY L. GUENTHER.

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